According to People magazine, Whiddon, 23, learned that her son didn’t have arms or legs when she was just 18 weeks pregnant. He was diagnosed with amelia-phocomelia after his birth.

“When I first found out he wouldn’t have arms or legs, I thought that he would just be a vegetable … I didn’t know what to expect,” she told People.

“When he was around 2 months old, I had him laying on my bed … I saw him out the corner of my eye and he was hitting the toys with his arms. I started to cry, I was just so happy and that confirmed that he was gonna be able to do things,” she said.